[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SPEAK OUT AGAINST GENOCIDE

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                           HON. SCOTT GARRETT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2009

  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, April is Genocide 
Prevention Month. Tuesday, April 21st, marked Holocaust Remembrance 
Day. Tomorrow, April 24th, is the 94th anniversary of the onset of the 
Armenian genocide. These times of commemoration are sobering, but I 
firmly believe that it is important to pause and recall the unnecessary 
deaths of millions of people which occurred in the last century. By 
reminding ourselves of past atrocities, we are encouraged to uphold the 
value of human life today.
  During World War I, the Turkish government began an assault on the 
Armenian people by arresting and killing religious, political, and 
intellectual leaders in Istanbul. Then, groups of Armenian men, women, 
and children were rounded up and forced to march through the desert. 
Along the way, the victims were tortured, raped, and starved.
  Before and during World War H, Adolph Hitler attempted to eliminate 
the Jewish people and others whom he considered a threat. He initiated 
boycotts of Jewish businesses, prohibited social contact with Jews, and 
excluded Jews from participation in government, the arts, and 
education. Then, Hitler began deporting Jews to internment camps, 
essentially forcing them to complete slave labor. Some were marched to 
remote areas and murdered. Eventually, the Germans began a campaign of 
mass extermination by gassing Jews and other ``undesirable'' ethnic, 
religious, and political groups.
  Monday, April 20th, marked another historic event. It happened to be 
the anniversary of Adolph Hitler's birth. When justifying his 
persecution of the Polish people, Hitler declared ``Who, after all, 
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?'' I, for one, am 
still speaking about the annihilation of Armenians. I am also speaking 
about the annihilation of Jews. I encourage my colleagues to join me in 
speaking out against genocide.

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